Speaking exclusively to "Youm 7", on the sidelines of signing a cooperation protocol between the National Election Commission and the Egyptian Postal Service, Hamza emphasized that collaborating with the National Postal Authority would play a pivotal role. Regarding the upcoming presidential elections, the commission president noted that they are focused on finalizing logistical preparations. He hinted that the date for the next presidential elections will be announced soon, in line with the constitutional provisions. Stressing on the legitimacy of the process, Hamza confirmed that the upcoming presidential elections would be conducted under judicial supervision. As for the voting process of Egyptians abroad, Hamza asserted that all proposals related to the expatriate voting process are under scrutiny.

Minister of Trade and Industry Ahmed Samir issued a decision to amend some provisions of the regulations of Law No. 118/1975 regarding import and export and the system of procedures for examination and control of imported and exported goods. The decree came in the framework of President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi’s directives to facilitate the procedures of import and export operations and to facilitate the movement of foreign trade. GOEIC’s Chairperson Essam Al-Naggar said that until the standards and controls of the integrated risk management system for examining imported non-food industrial commodities enter into force. 118/1975 in the matter of import and export, provided that they are registered in the approved economic operator programme.

Advanced Energy Systems (ADES), partially owned by the Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF), intends to offer 30% of its shares on the Saudi stock market Tadawul before the end of this year, sources have told Daily News Egypt. Last June, ADES obtained regulatory approval for its initial public offering in Riyadh, which may be one of the largest IPOs in the Kingdom this year. Innovative Energy’s ownership is distributed between the Saudi PIF (32.5%), Zamil Group (10%), and Intro Group (57.5%). Innovative Energy acquired all of ADES shares in 2021 in a deal that valued the company at about $550m at the time. It includes Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, Egypt, Algeria and Tunisia, according to a previous statement from the company.

CAIRO – 21 August 2023: In a Cabinet meeting Monday, Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouli urged launching as soon as possible a shipping line between Egypt and COMESA countries, and another between Egypt on one hand, and West and North Africa on the other hand. The prime minister instructed holding a meeting comprising the Ministry of Transport, the Ministry of Trade and Industry, the Federation of Egyptian Chambers of Commerce, and different export councils in order to agree on the sailing network, and the products to be exported. In 2018, Egypt proposed the creation of a trade shipping route extending between Lake Victoria in Central Africa and the Mediterranean Sea, calling it the VICMED project. Speaking of exports, they fell from $531.400 million to $504.2 million with the top importer being kenya with $67.2 million (down from $91.6 million), followed by South Africa with $17.4 million (down from $30.3 million), and Ethiopia with $1.7 million (down from $2.6 million). As for imports, they increased to $1.656 billion up from $1.6 billion with the top exporter being Kenya with $83.2 million (down from $97 million), followed by South Africa with $28 million (up from $21.2 million).

NBA Africa and MAVEN Developments have announced a multiyear collaboration that makes the latter an official partner of NBA Africa in Egypt. The event featured an NBA 3X (three-on-three) basketball tournament, live music performances, and a Jr. NBA clinic for 100 local youth on both days. Later this year, MAVEN Developments and NBA Africa will launch a Jr. NBA West Cairo League for youth (the 12 to 16 age group) and host an elite player development camp in Egypt for U-16. MAVEN Developments also served as the title sponsor of the BWB Africa 2022 camp awards. The Jr. NBA programme has been implemented in 16 African countries.

President Sisi was briefed on developments in the unified government network project, connecting the state’s administrative apparatus, said Presidential spokesperson Ahmed Fahmy in a statement on Monday. The network aims to strengthen the ability to circulate government data in a secure, rapid and sophisticated manner, so as to qualify the administrative apparatus to upgrade all government services delivered to the citizens. The President was also updated on efforts to improve mobile phone services and boost the Internet's infrastructure to accommodate intensive usage and development requirements during the current and future phases. President El-Sisi held a separate meeting with Dr. Madbouly and Dr. Talaat, to follow-up on work progress in a number of projects in the communications and information technology sector. President El-Sisi gave directives to continue intensive work to upgrade Egypt's telecommunications sector, particularly by supporting Egyptian startups working in this field and encouraging their expansion.

CAIRO – 21 August 2023: Egypt’s Cabinet's media center denied on Monday a report fanned by some websites and social networking pages about stipulating new procedures for entering Egypt. Under the new measures, nationals of a number of countries will be banned from obtaining entry visas and obliged to get the visas in advance from the Egyptian embassies in their countries or get online tourism visas via the Egyptian government's portal, the report claimed. In a statement, the center said it communicated with the Tourism and Antiquities Ministry that refuted the report as "baseless." No new measures were taken for the entry of Egypt, it added. The center called on media outlets and social media users to verify the authenticity of the news circulated to avoid perplexing public opinion.

SEVILLE, Aug 20 (Reuters) - Atletico Madrid had to settle for a disappointing goalless draw at Real Betis in their second game of the LaLiga season on Sunday. The hosts dominated the first half before Atletico piled on the pressure after the break but were frustrated by Betis's disciplined defence. Betis had much more control of the ball, we were unable to generate danger," Atletico manager Diego Simeone told DAZN. For me, it was a very good second half in which the team sought to win from the start. Both Betis and Atletico have four points, level with Barcelona and Girona.

CAIRO – 20 August 2023: Egypt called Sunday for pacification and suspension of any measures that would trigger tensions between Greek Cyprus and Turkish Cyprus in the aftermath of the Friday assault on the UN Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP) stationed in the buffer zone. The statement issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs stressed the importance of respecting the UNFICYP and related United Nations Security Council's (UNSC) resolutions. It also stipulated the necessity of avoiding any activities that would complicate the circumstances as well as the existing status of the ceasefire lines and buffer zone. Egypt also called for "returning to the pathway of the comprehensive resolution to the Cypriot issue in accordance with relevant UNSC resolutions. Spokesperson of the United Nations security-general issued a statement Saturday revealing that three peacekeepers had to be hospitalized and that a number of UN vehicles had been damaged.

President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi directed the government to support the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency’s (MSMEDA) efforts to increase the amount of MSMEs in a way that meets the needs of young entrepreneurs in the private sector, and contribute to unlocking their creative and investment potential. This is with a focus on the industrial and agricultural sectors, within the framework of the Comprehensive Plan to deepen industrialization in Egypt and increase industrial and agricultural exports. The president also ordered updating the agency’s strategy, support its digital transformation process, achieve financial inclusion, and rely on the green economy, in line with the state’s efforts to develop the Egyptian economy and increase its competitiveness. This came during a meeting between President Al-Sisi with Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly, and Basil Rahmy, head of MSMEDA, on Sunday. Ahmed Fahmy, the spokesperson of the presidency, said that the meeting discussed the presentation of the activities carried out by the authority to support micro, medium and small enterprises in various development sectors.

The Egyptian government is preparing to resume the procedures for offering Banque du Caire during the coming period, after the sale of The United Bank, and is also studying using CI Capital and Hermes to manage the offering. Informed sources revealed to Daily News Egypt that the Egyptian government is preparing to offer 49% of Banque du Caire on the Egyptian Exchange before the end of this year. The sources added that they are awaiting the results of the promotional tour conducted by the managers of The United Bank offering to resume the procedures for offering Banque du Caire again, in addition to the offers of investors and the final evaluation of the sale of the bank. Chairperson of Banque Misr, Mohamed El-Etreby, said at the time that the deal to return the ownership of Banque du Caire to Banque Misr in a deal worth EGP 7bn is merely a restructuring of Banque du Caire’s ownership to be under Banque Misr instead of Misr Capital for Investments. Last January, the Securities Committee of the Egyptian Exchange decided to increase the authorized capital of Banque du Caire, from EGP 10bn to EGP 20bn.

Summer means vacation, so we have more time to spend out with friends and family. Sometimes we run out of ideas on how to enjoy this time of the year. Besides the beach fun, here are things you can enjoy with your family and friends. Learn Something NewIf you prefer to spend your summer vacation at home, you can make use of this time by learning something new. As you see, summer vacation is a great time to not only have fun but to also become a better version of you.

SYDNEY, Aug 20 (Reuters) - England and Spain go head-to-head in the final of the Women's World Cup on Sunday, capping off a tournament that has broken attendance and TV records and raised hopes of a surge in interest for the women's game. The last Women's World Cup in France four years ago attracted more than 1.1. million fans to 52 matches with an average crowd of 21,756. "We need funding in our development, we need funding in our grassroots," she said. "We need funding, you know, we need funding everywhere." The Matildas' standout World Cup campaign has led to calls for more support to women's soccer in Australia, where it lags more popular football codes like rugby league and Australian rules.

Aug 19 (Reuters) - Turkish Super League champions Galatasaray have signed Moroccan midfielder Hakim Ziyech from Chelsea on loan, with the option of buying him later, the club said on Saturday. Galatasaray will pay Ziyech 3.6 million euros for the 2023-2024 season and 2.9 million euros for the 2024-2025 season if he transfers to the club on a permanent basis. Galatasaray won a record 23rd league title in May and their first since the 2018-19 season. Mauro Icardi has also joined Galatasaray from Paris St Germain, as has Wilfried Zaha following the expiration of his Crystal Palace contract.

Egypt’s Minister of Health and Population Khaled Abdel Ghaffar participated on Saturday in the “Medicine Sector” session within the activities of the Health Working Group meetings of the Group of 20, held from 18 to 19 August, in India. Abdel Ghaffar stressed the urgent need to ensure the right to health for all, as the pharmaceutical sector plays a pivotal role in global health, explaining the importance of strengthening cooperation in this field to ensure the well-being of societies. He pointed out that the coronavirus pandemic showed the importance of a strong and resilient pharmaceutical sector, as that crisis highlighted weaknesses in healthcare systems, and exposed health systems’ gaps in preparing to confront pandemics. The Minister of Health and Population reviewed Egypt’s experience over the past years in promoting local production of medicines and vital medical products, which was a basic pillar of the national health agenda. The minister added that more resources must be allocated in the main areas of health care, including scientific research for new treatments, especially in issues related to public health, epidemics, immunity and vaccines, through the development of geographically diverse research, development and manufacturing networks.